Canaletto assembled the composition from a number of separate studies, not entirely successfully – San Marco appears to merge with the distant Torre dell’Orologio, and the near corner of the Palazzo Ducale seems to be sinking into the Piazzetta. As usual, Canaletto has heightened and slimmed the Campanile, but the most significant deviation from reality is the omission of the column with the Lion of St Mark, which should dominate the centre foreground.